


Thank You

by spyderwoman



Category: Avengers (Comics), Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Clint Barton mentioned, F/M, Set after Avengers Assemble 011
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-17
Updated: 2013-01-17
Packaged: 2017-11-25 19:31:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/642254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spyderwoman/pseuds/spyderwoman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of Avengers Assemble #11, Tony Stark throws a victory party to celebrate. When Jessica Drew runs into Bruce Banner on her way out, she encounters a situation she never anticipated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thank You

Like any Avengers victory party at Stark Tower, this one went on just a little too long and a little too loud for her tastes. It wasn’t that she hated a party, quite the opposite, but she found that after a stressful scenario like what had happened—or had almost happened, all Jessica really wanted to do was curl up and just be left to her thoughts.

Of course Carol had begged her to stay, have another drink, rehash old victory tales with what very quickly became an old boys reunion of past and present Avengers. No sign of Clint though. He hadn’t even sent her a text in two weeks. That usually meant he was undercover somewhere, working for and with god knows who. She still wasn’t used to, well, whatever this was. Out of habit she checked her phone again, sighing at the empty screen.

She found Carol over with Tony, Peter and Steve, all still laughing over the picture from earlier that day. Jessica peered over Peter’s shoulder and laughed too.

“How much are they going to make you pay for public indecency Tony?” She asked.

“Not more than I could afford,” he replied dryly. “Though it wouldn’t have been as much had Danvers here not blown the horn in announcement before it happened.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Tony.” Carol said, throwing a wink at Jessica and taking a sip of her drink. “Besides, what makes you think it was me? Maybe it was Steve? Or Logan?”

Tony just gave her a withering look.

Jessica took advantage of the momentary silence around to group to tap Carol on the shoulder. “I think I need to get some air, I’m gonna split.” 

Carol’s brows drew together in disappointment, “So early? Everything alright Jess?”

Jessica nodded, “S’fine, I just need to get some rest.”

“Understood,” Carol said, “See you later, and hey, stay out of trouble.”

Jessica smiled and waved to the rest of the group, “You say that like I know how.”

She pulled her jacket on before walking outside, it was more for aesthetics than warmth, she liked the tan brown color, and the way it hung on her. She was about to hail a cab when she noticed movement off to her side and turned around.

“Sorry, ah… I didn’t mean to startle you.” Bruce Banner said, his palms turned towards her in a display of peace as he kept sitting on a wooden bench that was a few feet away from the entrance to the tower.

She waved her hands towards him, “Oh. don’t worry. What are you doing out here though? Get sick of the party?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Bruce said, the corners of his mouth twitching in a half smile.

She walked over and sat down on the bench beside him. “Just needed a little space to breathe. Tony always insists on inviting every single person he knows to these things, and not every face is friendly…” She trailed off.

“Yeah, tell me about it.” She heard him whisper under his breath.

Jess raised an eyebrow, “Somebody giving you trouble up there?”

“No, not trouble.” He admitted. “But I’m not exactly a welcome face to some of the people up there either after…” He didn’t continue.

Jess bit down on her lip, raising her arm and awkwardly patting him on the shoulder. She had always been real shit at comforting people but Bruce, to his credit, didn’t make it more awkward by looking at her or shrugging off her hand, so she left it there.

“For what it’s worth, I know how you feel… at least sort of. Feeling responsible, and being blamed for things you didn’t know, or couldn’t… control.”

He turned to look at her then, his brow knitted in confusion. She saw it when light came on behind his eyes, “Oh you mean—Veranke. I-I heard about that.”

“Yeah,” was all she could think to say.

“Yeah.” He repeated.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, her hand still resting on his shoulder.

“I wanted to say thank you, by the way. I sort of, half remember you defending me--or, Hulk rather. I know what Tony wanted to do from the beginning was the logical choice, and my—Hulk’s choice in the end. But, really, just... thank you for arguing on my behalf.”

She moved her hand off his shoulder, letting her hands fall into her lap as she looked away. “You’re welcome. I just, didn’t want them to make your choices for you. Hulk isn’t some _thing_ to just be sacrificed at every indomitable problem. He’s a living breathing being; he thinks and feels just the same as anyone else. People should be allowed to make their own decisions, and that goes for Hulk too.”

She looked back up at Bruce to see him smiling at her, a full on smile reaching all the way up to his dark brown eyes. A smile, coming from Bruce Banner, now that was a rare treat and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“Oh, and since I’m full of thank you’s today, thanks for the ice cream too.” He said, “It was delicious, really.”

“Oh that place makes the best, I’m glad you like it. I had to find some way to say thank you for that decedent sandwich you… crafted.”

“Hulk crafted,” he corrected her, a rueful smile on his face. “And frankly you should get a medal just for managing to finish that abomination.”

“Oh, it wasn’t so bad, once you got past the pickles and lemon pie filling that is.”

They both erupted in laughter, but were cut off when her phone finally pinged.

 

**Sorry. Been on mission with Katie. Hawkeye training. See you tonight?**

-       **C**

“Your boyfriend?” Bruce asked nonchalantly.

“Um, sort of. Yes? I don’t know.” Jess said, trying to clear her mind of conflicting emotions. “Yes.” She finally settled on.

“Sounds complicated.” He offered.

She let out an abrupt laugh, “That’s an understatement. Anyway, Bruce, I should get going. But we should do this again. You know, Team Sad: Redux.”

“We do make a good team, I’ll look for you next time a crisis has the decency to warn us of our impending doom first.”

“I’ll bring more ice cream. It’s a date—plan.” She corrected herself. “I’ll see you around I guess?”

“See you around.” He repeated behind her as she got up and flagged down a passing cab.

On the way back to her apartment she sat in silence in the cab, deciding against texting Clint back. She’d see him tomorrow, and she could use a night to pick through her muddled brain. 


End file.
